Johan of Schleswig-Holstein (9 July 1583 – 28 October 1602) was the youngest son of
Frederick II of Denmark and Norway and
Sophia of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. He went to Russia in 1602 as the bridegroom of
Boris Godunov's daughter
Ksenia (Xenia), but fell ill and died before the marriage could take place.
It is possible that Boris Godunov's ministers may have poisoned him. The cancelled marriage between John and Ksenia was an attempt to ally
Denmark-Norway with the Russian Empire.
Other notable facts
* In
Alexander Pushkin
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin () was a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist of the Romantic era.Basker, Michael. Pushkin and Romanticism. In Ferber, Michael, ed., ''A Companion to European Romanticism''. Oxford: Blackwell, 2005. He is consid ...
's chamber drama ''Boris Godunov'' and the
Mussorgsky opera
Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
based on it, Johan is referred to in Boris's monologue "I have attained the highest power":
''I thought to make my daughter happy''
''By wedlock. Like a tempest Death took off''
''Her bridegroom—and at once a stealthy rumour''
''Pronounced me guilty of my daughter's grief--''
''Me, me, the hapless father!''
Ancestry
References
Other sources
* "The Muscovite Embassy of 1599 to Emperor Rudolf II of Habsburg," by Isaiah Gruber (1999): page 86 (with footnote 3)
*
*
External links
*
The Muscovite Embassy of 1599 to Emperor Rudolf II of Habsburg(pdf) by Isaiah Gruber
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1583 births
1602 deaths
16th-century Danish people
17th-century Danish people
House of Oldenburg in Schleswig-Holstein
Princes from Denmark–Norway
Burials at Roskilde Cathedral
Sons of kings
Children of Frederick II of Denmark